Rivalry derailed many championship seasons in its history

History of Heartbreak

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - There is clearly more at stake for top-ranked Florida than Georgia when the teams meet Saturday at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

The Gators (7-0, 5-0 in the Southeastern Conference) can clinch at least a share of the SEC Eastern Division title and remain in the hunt for the national championship with a victory.

The Bulldogs (4-3, 3-2) are clinging to slim chances in the division race and would need a victory to remain in the hunt to finish the season ranked.

Florida is a 16-point favorite and has the No. 1 scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense, total defense, rushing offense and pass defense in the SEC. Georgia has the SEC's worst rushing offense and scoring defense. So it should be an orange-and-blue cakewalk.

Not if you know anything about the history of this series. Each school has ruined the other's seasons before.

Here are some of the more notable examples:

► The year: 2002

► The result: Florida 20, Georgia 13.

► The game: Unranked Florida lost WR Taylor Jacobs to a knee injury on the first series, but backups Kelvin Kight (nine catches, 115 yards) and Carlos Perez (12 catches, 115 yards) responded with career days in the Gators' victory. QB Rex Grossman rebounded from two first-half interceptions to complete a career-high 36 passes in 46 attempts for 339 yards and two touchdowns. Florida's defense stymied Georgia's offense, recording four sacks and keeping the fifth-ranked Bulldogs from converting a single third down (0-for-13).

Grossman's 10-yard touchdown pass to Ben Troupe with 11:32 remaining was the game-winner. Georgia had a chance to tie the game with less than three minutes remaining, but WR Terrance Edwards dropped a potential touchdown on a post pattern.

► The heartbreak: That loss is what kept Georgia from playing for a national title. The Bulldogs finished 13-1, beating Arkansas in the SEC championship game and Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.

► The year: 1985

► The result: Georgia 24, Florida 3.

► The game: Florida entered the game ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for the first time in school history. The Gators were led by QB Kerwin Bell, who would complete 33 of 49 passes for 408 yards against 17th-ranked Georgia. But the Bulldogs ran for 344 yards behind Keith Henderson (145 yards) and Tim Worley (104 yards). Henderson scored on runs of 76 and 32 yards, and Worley added an 89-yard TD run in the fourth quarter that capped the scoring in the Bulldogs' upset. Georgia's defense had noticed during film study that Florida's linemen put their hands on the ground differently for running and passing plays. That information helped the Bulldogs keep the Gators out of the end zone.

► The heartbreak: Glorious Georgia fans fell to the ground and kicked their feet in the air while screaming, "Four days!" That was the length of time the Gators stayed atop the poll. Georgia didn't win another game that season and finished 7-3-2.

Florida beat Kentucky and Florida State, but couldn't play in a bowl game because of NCAA sanction. The Gators (9-1-1) would have been able to claim at least the AP title had they beaten Georgia.

► The year: 1976

► The result: Georgia 41, Florida 27.

► The game: Both teams entered the game ranked in the AP top 10 for the first time. Georgia was seventh and Florida 10th. A victory would give the Gators the first SEC title in school history. Georgia would win the SEC title by beating Florida and Auburn. The teams combined for 801 yards, 68 points, 44 first downs, 123 penalty yards and seven turnovers. But one bad decision cost the Gators.

With Florida leading 27-20 in the third quarter, Gators coach Doug Dickey elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Florida 29-yard line. The play was a pitch to RB Earl Carr, and Georgia DB Johnny Henderson stopped Carr for no gain. That sparked the Bulldogs, who went on to win behind 124 yards and three touchdowns rushing, and 37 yards and two touchdowns passing by QB Ray Goff.

►The heartbreak: Florida could have earned a share of the SEC title by beating Kentucky the following week, but the Wildcats upset the Gators in Gainesville. Georgia beat Auburn 28-0 and won coach Vince Dooley his third SEC title.

► The year: 1975

► The result: Georgia 10, Florida 7.

► The game: Florida was 4-0 in the SEC and needed a victory over Georgia to earn at least a share of the first SEC title in school history (seeing a pattern here?). The teams combined for 703 yards of offense, but the only touchdown through more than 56 minutes was Tony Green's 1-yard run early in the first quarter.

Georgia added a field goal late in the first half and that's the score that stood until late in the fourth quarter. Georgia had the ball at its own 20-yard line. Coach Vince Dooley called an end-around to TE Richard Appleby, a play that had worked twice before for 30 yards.

This time, though, there was a twist. While Florida's eager defenders came up to stop the run, Georgia wide receiver Gene Washington slipped behind cornerback Henry Davis. Washington caught the pass at the Florida 40 with nobody near him and went untouched for an 80-yard touchdown.

Florida had another chance, though. The Gators drove to the Georgia 21. Facing fourth-and-10, Florida coach Doug Dickey sent out place-kicker David Posey for the tying field goal with 50 seconds remaining. The snap was low, which affected the hold and Posey's kick wobbled into the line of scrimmage.

►The heartbreak: The Gators finished second to Alabama in the SEC and were shut out by Maryland (13-0) in the Gator Bowl. They finished 9-3 and unhappy.

► The year: 1974

► The result: Georgia 17, Florida 16.

► The game: Sixth-ranked Florida was 7-1 and had already accepted a Sugar Bowl bid by the time the game against unranked Georgia rolled into Jacksonville. A victory would give the Gators the first SEC title in school history, and after a close contest it came down to one play with 28 seconds to play.

Florida quarterback Don Gaffney had just run 4 yards for a touchdown to cut Georgia's lead to 17-16 and coach Doug Dickey called for a 2-point conversion. Gaffney - who the year before had beaten the Bulldogs with a 2-point conversion late in the fourth quarter - had his pass to Jimmy DuBose fall incomplete after Georgia safety Dave Schwak hammered DuBose as the ball arrived.

► The heartbreak: The loss devastated the Gators, who went on to lose two of their next three games and finish 8-4.